I presume that you notice this sinking, because the level of your pool sides are lower than they used to be. Unfortunately there is virtually nothing that you can do to stop this action. The weight of many thousands of gallons of water contained in a vessel is greater than any preventative measure that you could undertake. Without removing and resetting your inground pool, your only choice would be to live with it. Excavate the area around the top of your pool, and re-landscape to accomodate the drop. If you have a wooden deck surrounding your pool, take the deck back 3 feet and create a 'step' down. If it's a concrete pool deck, you will have to live with gap, or cut the concrete back to form a step.

I wish I had better news for you.

I hope that this has answered your question. Please let me know if there is anything else that I can do to help.

Good luck, and best regards,

Michael

(I would very much appreciate your clicking on the green 'Accept' button, as it is the ONLY way that I get compensated for my time. Thanks VERY much!)

I have been a civil engineer since there were dinosaurs walking the earth, almost. I've seen a lot of subsidence and settlement. It doesn't "just happen", there is an underlying cause.

Sometimes it is a leak that can't be seen from above the structure that is leaking - a water tank, a water main, yes even a pool...

Sometimes it is a leak that drains away material - slowly, incrementally, like a broken sewer line or a broken water main... the dirt falls in gradually...

Sometimes it is subsidence caused by withdrawal of oil or water from an underlying aquifer...

Sometimes it is "only" a manifestation of a larger, slow earth movement along a line of failure in a slope...

NOBODY can recommend what to do about this kind of subsidence until the actual underlying cause can be determined.

When the geologist, civil or structural engineer - that you are going to have to hire - comes to look at your pool area, they are going to ask you some questions to give them some hints about the cause. I will not pretend to be able to identify the cause without actually inspecting your situation, but here are some of the things that they are going to ask you.

* When did you first notice the sinking
* Are there any other cracks in the ground around the area
* Was there a major rainstorm, flood, or broken pipe any time prior to the start of the sinking, to your knowledge
* Are there any areas where damp spots are appearing, on a slope or anywhere else, where they weren't there before
* When was your pool first constructed
* Where are the lines for your filter and refill water
* Have you had any recent geologic activity - earthquakes, springs, changes in well water quality (if there are wells in the area), heavy construction near you or downslope from you

As they inspect your site there will be other questions.

As your pool continues to sink, the stresses on the walls of the pool, as well as the bottom of the pool, will continue to increase. At some point there will be structural failure of the walls or bottom. You need to hire a professional geologist, civil engineer, or structural engineer Monday morning and literally "get to the bottom" of this potentially dangerous situation.

There might be some confusion on my answer, after talking with another expert, I am not telling you to Jack the pool up, I said it sounds similar. I am tell you what I recommend is that you seek professional help, with professional tools. I hope this clears this is more clear... :)

So as you can see, Now you have two experts that Agree that Professional help is required for this project.

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